


Incoming Call: Alicia Zimmermann

by petersnotkingyet



Series: Love is Blind (and so is Kenny) [14]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Blind Character, Blind!Kent, College, Disabled Character, Disabled Kent Parson, Epilepsy, Gen, Kent was a part of Jack's family and Bob and Alicia still care about him, Male Friendship, Maternal Alicia, Past Kent Parson/Jack Zimmermann, Past Relationship(s), Swoops is a good friend, mentions of seizures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 13:23:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15316407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petersnotkingyet/pseuds/petersnotkingyet
Summary: “Jack’s decided he wants to go to college.”  Excitement surged in Kent’s gut before he had even processed the statement.  It must have showed on his face, because he could hear Swoops pause from where he’d been washing the dishes.  “He wants to study history.”“That’s great,” Kent said.  “Totally not biased, but we’ve got an awesome social studies program here.  Professor Hill is over it—I had him my freshman year and-”“Honey,” Alicia interrupted.  “Jack’s already picked a school.  He’s going to Samwell.”"Oh."





	Incoming Call: Alicia Zimmermann

_“Incoming call: Alicia Zimmermann.”_

Kent pushed his homework aside and picked up the phone.  It’d been a little over a month since he’d talked to the Zimmermanns, and he’d known he was due for a call soon.  They took turns calling him once a month, varying the days in hopes that he wouldn’t notice their routine. 

“Hey, Mrs. Alicia,” Kent said.  Swoops was in the room and Kent knew he’d be listening, but he didn’t bother leaving the room to answer.

“Hi, Kenny,” she responded.  The nickname didn’t sting the same way it used to.  “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

“No, you’re fine,” Kent said despite the work that was in front of him on the kitchen table.  “I’m at home.”

“Good,” Alicia said.  “How have you been?”

“I’m good,” Kent said.  “I like my classes this semester.”

“Yeah?” Alicia said.  “Your mom said you made the dean’s list again.  That’s amazing, sweetheart.”

“Thanks,” Kent said.  “How are you guys?”

“Really good,” Alicia said.  She hesitated, and Kent could feel her weighing her words.  Finally, she said, “Jack’s decided he wants to go to college.”  Excitement surged in Kent’s gut before he had even processed the statement.  It must have showed on his face, because he could hear Swoops pause from where he’d been washing the dishes.  “He wants to study history.”

“That’s great,” Kent said.  “Totally not biased, but we’ve got an awesome social studies program here.  Professor Hill is over it—I had him my freshman year and-”

“Honey,” Alicia interrupted.  “Jack’s already picked a school.  He’s going to Samwell.”

“Oh,” Kent said, his voice suddenly flat.  Samwell was painfully nearby.  The line was silent for a second before he recovered.  “I mean, that makes sense.  I know you went to Samwell, so it makes sense that he’d want to go there too.”

He probably wants to go to parties, Kent thought, without having to sneak into a back room with Kent.  Not to have sex, but to watch a timer while Kent seized because he’d skipped his meds so he could get drunk.  Kent shook his head as if to forcibly clear away the thought and reminded himself that Jack had never really liked parties anyways.

“Kent,” Alicia said softly.  “Kent, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Kent mumbled.

“I know Bob and I don’t really understand what happened with you and Jack after…”  Alicia trailed off and swallowed hard.  “I know we don’t really understand what happened and I know Jack had to make a lot of changes to get healthy again, but I’m just so sorry, Kent.  I know it’s been really hard on you.”

“I’m doing fine,” Kent said defensively.  Better than fine.  He was a full-time student, and he worked in the bookstore a couple days a week.  He was on the dean’s list.  He and Swoops had their own apartment.  He was adapting to not having Gracie, and he had a set time every week to go to the rink with a group of his friends.  He had friends—a big group of guys who were all taller than him and had all learned seizure first aid without saying anything and told him they loved him when they were drunk.  He could play hockey without feeling like he was about to suffocate.

“You are,” Alicia agreed hastily.  “You’re doing incredible, and we’re so proud of you.  I just wish…”

“That things were different,” Kent finished.

“Yeah,” Alicia said.  Kent nodded to himself and imagined she was doing the same on the other end of the line.  “I thought you’d want to know about Jack.”

“Yeah.  Thanks for calling, Mrs. Alicia,” Kent said.  When he was a teenager and spent as many nights at the Zimmermann house as his own, he’d called her Mama Z and told her he loved her every night he slept over.  She’d doted on him and kept his favorite snacks in the cabinet for when he came over after practice.  Sometimes, he’d wake up before Jack in the mornings and they’d make pancakes together before Bob and Jack came downstairs.  Kent had been everything Jack wasn’t—affectionate and outgoing and charming.  Alicia had told him once that he balanced out their family.  Now, he called her Mrs. Alicia and talked to her on the phone every month or two.  “It was good talking to you.”

“It’s good talking to you too, Kent,” she said.  “You keep working hard school, alright?  And take care of yourself.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kent said.  He hesitated and then added, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Alicia said.  The words rushed out, like she’d been holding onto them for too long.  “I’ll talk to you again soon.”

“Alright,” Kent said.  “Goodbye.”

“Bye, Kent.”

For a split second, neither of them hung up.  There was more to be said, but no words to say it.  Alicia loved Kent like a son, and it had been eighteen months since they were in the same room.  Kent ended the call and forced himself not to flop forwards onto the counter.

“Kent,” Swoops said cautiously.  Kent heard him set one of their plastic bowls on the drying rack.  “Maybe you shouldn’t keep in touch with Jack’s parents.”

“It’s not that easy,” Kent said.  They’d had this conversation before.

“I know they did a lot for you growing up,” Swoops said, “and I know you still care about them, but every time you get off the phone with them, you look like you’ve lost Jack all over again.”

“I can’t just cut them off,” Kent said.

“You stand to can’t cut anybody off,” Swoops said gently, “and that’s not fair to you.  You’re not Jack.  It’s okay to end a relationship if it’s hurting you.”

 “It’s not like they’re just the parents of one of my old buddies,” Kent said.  “I was at their house nearly every day for years, Jeff.  Hell, they were the ones chauffeuring me around to practices half the time.  Sometimes I’d go over to work something with Bob, and Jack wouldn’t even be home.”

“I know you had a relationship with them that didn’t involve Jack,” Swoops said, “but there’s no way for them to not be tied to him.  He’s their son.  He’s always going to come up, and it’s always going to hurt you.”

“I’ll think about it,” Kent said, and Jeff knew that was the end of the conversation.  He turned back to the dishes and cut the sink on again.

“I just don’t want you to keep getting hurt, Kent,” Swoops said.

Kent pretended not to hear him over the sound of the water, but the next month when Bob called, he let it go to voicemail.


End file.
